March 31, 2012

My very first Glossybox arrived yesterday, just one day short of the month's end. I was pretty excited for a new little treat, especially as I haven't been doing any shopping this month. It was adorably packaged from beginning to end; with even the cardboard shipping box spotted with the feminine logo.

Admittedly I haven't fallen in love with any of these items, although they're quite usable & for the most part practical. I haven't tested all of the products yet, but here's a little run-through of what I received:

1. Bailey Fresh Lip Gloss (Berry) - This lipgloss came in a purpley dark pink colour, which although I wouldn't generally choose myself, I quite like. It's non-sticky, though like most lipglosses it doesn't have the lasting power I'd like. I'm going to pair it with my Too Faced Lip Insurance primer soon & see if that might enhance it.

2. Pandora's Box Blush - For someone with pale skin like myself, blush never goes astray. This colour is a slightly deep pink, which will be useful when I want to alternate from my bright pink Dior blush.

3. Evian Facial Spray - This is a natural mineral water spray which can be used over make-up to give your skin a refreshment boost throughout the day. I've used this one twice so far & will venture to say it's definitely a good refresher which doesn't interfere with your make-up. I don't know how often I'd use this product for day to day use, but I can definitely see it being useful during hot summer weather.

4. Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion - This product I've used before; in fact it's a product my mom swears by. It's undoubtedly a good daily moisturizer. That being said, I wasn't overjoyed to see it in my Glossybox, as I could easily pick it up at any local Shoppers Drug Mart.

5. Algemarin Foam Bath - Haven't tried this one out yet. But I do enjoy a good bubble bath from time to time so we'll see how "the riches of the sea" fare soon enough.

6. Sebastian Professional Re-Shaper Hair Spray - A mini-bottle of hairspray is always great to slip in your purse, so I figured this guy was at least pretty useful. Sadly when I went to try it out this afternoon the nozzle stopped working after one tiny spray! I tried to be resourceful & switch the nozzle with another spray, but sadly it's beyond help.

And that's that! It's so hard to believe that tomorrow is April 1st (especially considering we've gotten 20+ cm of snow here this past week... needless to say I'm not impressed). In the spirit of Spring & my current colour obsession I'm hoping to come up with a bright outfit post for tomorrow. Stay tuned :)

March 25, 2012

I'm so envious of seemingly everyone else in the world who isn't living in the midst of Winter this March 25th. I woke up this morning with an enthusiastic plan to take a nice Spring outfit photo. That's when I noticed it was a complete blizzard outside. Fortunately it cleared up this afternoon so I braved the below freezing temperature & attempted to create a Spring-esque look that was still somewhat weather appropriate (don't let the silly smile fool you; I was beyond freezing).

I have two exams coming up this Tuesday & Wednesday so you can expect something new the second those are out of the way. Until then I'll be attaching myself wholly to my text books & language CDs... oh the excitement ;)

Hope you've all had a wonderful weekend - thank you so much for reading!

March 21, 2012

Apologies for my sporadic posting the past few weeks; I've been on a terrific roll with my online/distance coursework. I'm hoping to get it done as fast as I possibly can so I have more time for the wonderful world of blogging :)

That being said, I thought I'd show you a more casual look, the type I'm apt to wear when leaving the house to study. Whether it be the library, a coffee shop, or visiting my German tutor, I'm always a fan of dressing up a little while maintaining a level of comfortability. This particular evening I chose a blue chiffon American Apparel skirt & oversized top from Zara (with sleeves rolled up). When choosing an outfit to study in I don't tend to wear much dangly jewellery, as it drives me crazy when trying to focus. Instead I wore my favourite nerdy Ray Ban glasses (they make me feel smart and help me see, win win ;), a vintage silver sequin/beaded shoulder bag from my Grandmother, & an older pair of pointy-toe heels I recently dug out of the depths of my closet. Not a full-fledged outfit shoot by any means, just a couple quick shots on a study break!

March 19, 2012

The past few days have found me much as I am this morning: curled up in bed in riding pants & an American apparel hoodie, studying my coursework endlessly. As such, the camera has lain untouched, without any outfits to document or new things to show you. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to rectify that; but until then I thought I'd share an updated wishlist of mine, as I haven't done one in awhile!

As you can see, I'm in quite the mood for colour at the moment. Bright clothes, shoes, accessories. I can't wait to get some Spring/Summer wardrobe building done.... of which wedges & midi skirts will most certainly dominate. Statement accessories are also high on the list; bold earrings, rings, & pretty necklaces. It was love at first sight when I came across this starfish Alexander McQueen ring, similar feelings to the Rainey necklace by Spike the Punch (an elusive piece I haven't managed to get ahold of yet, as new stock sell out in minutes). Casual staples will include light & airy oversized tank tops (such as the T by Alexander Wang one above), coloured oxfords (loving the mint pair by Le Bunny Bleu), & embellished denim cut-offs by Coal N Terry. The Prada Baroque round sunnies are number one on the list, as my staple pair of black sunnies broke just the other day. And there you have it: the pieces I'm determined to add to my wardrobe this coming season! Now if only the snow would all melt away ;)

March 15, 2012

Sunshine, melting snow, Camera Obscura, Springtime: Pretty much the main things which influenced this outfit of mine from yesterday. It made for the perfect opportunity to wear my new orange batwing jumper c/o OASAP which I received last week. I was looking for some interesting contrasts so I paired it with blues & red. You've seen these blue pleated palazzo pants once before (here), but I have to say it again: these are so much fun. Especially on a windy day like yesterday; they're blowing every which way & I can't help but smile over them. Definitely need to find a second pair of these soon.

Despite the fact that our house is still in the heart of winter, I wore my peep-toe Foxy platforms; deeming it safer uptown where there was significantly less snow. Accessory-wise I wore 2 vintage necklaces + red rosette stud earrings passed down from my Grandmother, & a printed navy clutch with wooden handle. I bought this clutch when I was fifteen for $5 at Old Navy... & this is actually the first time I've ever used it believe it or not. I'm not quite sure how to describe, or sum up the outfit style, but I can tell you I loved it. Definitely put me in the mood for Springtime/Frühlingszeit (been working on my German all week; my head is a mess of vocabulary & a headache of foreign pronunciations)!

As lovely as yesterday's brilliant sunshine was, it was not exactly conducive to great photography. So while it looks like I did godawful things with the saturation/exposure, seriously just blame the sun (what you see is unedited; fixing these was beyond my skill haha). And if you're wondering why I look cold, it's because I was cold freezing. Wish I could teleport to a warmer climate right about now! One more month...

March 14, 2012

Just wanted to quickly share a sneak peek of the outfit we shot today. It was only -3 & the sun was shining brightly so I wanted to incorporate some colour into a Spring transition look. I'm wearing my new orange batwing top c/o OASAP which I already love to pieces. We drove in circles around the city looking for the perfect location, but ended up on the waterfront, with the seagulls as our only audience.

March 12, 2012

At long last, I'm well & back on my feet again! The weather is also out in full force... wind & snow & ice & cold.... the whole nine yards. So while I couldn't get in a decent outfit photo shoot this morning, Mom was kind enough to snap a couple pictures on my way out the door; this time bundled sufficiently (having learned my lesson after last weeks poor preparation). As the title suggests, there are also ponies involved. While Vancouver "study breaks" extended to mini shopping trips, here they involve teasing my poor ponies with carrot treats in order to lure them into posing for photos. Fairly wholesome entertainment as you can imagine... cheaper too! ;)

First things first though; what am I wearing? At the prospect of -10 this morning I chose the warmest coat I own: my houndstooth Soïa & Kyo beauty from a couple years back. It's a little too big for me which is why it's been in storage here in NL (also there was really no need during Vancouver's "winter"); but now it's out, weighs about a tonne, & is keeping me feeling warm & stylish at the same time. My favourite thing about Soïa & Kyocoats are the gorgeous & unique detailing. What drew me to this one in particular is the structured neckline, which can be either folded or funnelled; & the huge "hubcap" buttons, which are in actuality almost the size of my palm. I paired the coat with my favourite indigo jeans ("Legging" cut) from Banana Republic, brown lace-up boots borrowed from dear Mom, & my fluorescent pink Cambridge Satchel for a good dose of colour.

March 9, 2012

Despite my power-of-vegan-health-claims, the cold front here has finally given me a comeuppance. So for the time being, I'm stuck in bed, between endless packs of kleenex & literary diversions.

There are several things brightening my day however; so I thought I'd share them with you! The primary one was the arrival of my first c/o item from OASAP.com- a lovely vibrant batwing top. To my delight it is the perfect shade of orange for Spring. As soon as my cold passes I'll be sure to put up an outfit post including it. I've shown it above with my H&M bangle which is no longer MIA (it was in one of my jewellery boxes all along, silly me); & hung below, to give you an idea of it's general shape.

I'd love to pass the entire day browsing blogs & responding to comments, but we unfortunately only have dial-up at home & it takes an average 40 minutes to read & respond to a single blog post (positively medieval I know). As soon as I'm able to leave the house I'll be back to my usual commenting frenzy, promise!

March 7, 2012

However much I abhor the cold, I can't help but love the scenery I'm currently surrounded by. I definitely don't consider this an outfit post, just a little "this is my life currently & this is what I happen to be wearing" sort of thing. For those of you who follow me regularly, the pants & satchel are both recent purchases, from H&M. I envisioned the fun purple pants (which definitely need to be paired with heels as you can tell by the excess length) more so paired with white mary-jane wedges & a summery top, but Newfoundland is a far cry from Spring still. Please forgive my lack of smiles & red nose, as it was truly excruciatingly cold!

All in all though, we had a lovely afternoon. Driving among the endless snow-capped mountains, listening to Elton John & Regina Spektor with dear Mom; stopping every five minutes for photos. I must say however, no photo can do it justice. You're constantly surrounded by mountains & ocean & frosted trees. I don't know about you, but being in the midst of something so tranquil & naturally beautiful really makes me feel glad to be alive.

Bottle Cove itself, one of my favourite spots in the world. You can't really encompass the entire thing, as I was shooting with a zoom lens, but it's truly amazing. The beach is lovely in the summer time; as are dare-devil antics of climbing out among the cliffs.

"All you need is love" .... And perhaps a pair of socks?

**One last note: I've gotten a bit of feedback over the past week stating that some readers have been unable to post comments on my blog recently. It's something that I'll be looking into over the next few days, as it's an incredibly frustrating issue. In the meantime, if you do experience problems with my comment box I'd really appreciate an email letting me know (serpentinestreets@gmail.com). Thank you for your patience & thank you for reading! :)

March 6, 2012

While the below freezing temperatures here in Newfoundland really make me want to curl up & hibernate in bed, the show must go on. I stubbornly refuse to dress practically; no snow boots or bland bundling for me. Thankfully today the sun is shining gorgeously so I was able to get away with some mild layering, infused with a variety of winter-appropriate textures.

This amber yellow feather vest from Club Monaco was one of my early Christmas presents to myself (last seen here). It's unbelievably warm & cosy. Every time I wear it I've come to expect random people petting me haha. Velvet was something I was tiring of in the Spring weather of Vancouver; but snowy Newfoundland has revived my interest a little. It is the perfect Winter texture afterall. The third texture I incorporated into this look is lace (Vero Moda lace-back cardigan), for some added feminity. Granny-style grey lace-up boots, jewelled owl pendant, & wayfarer sunnies complete this simple Wintery look.

To make the most of this gorgeous day Mom & I are going for a drive down the coast, to my favourite place in the world - Bottle Cove. The scenery there is stunning in both Winter & Summer; so expect lots of photos tomorrow :)